Routers and access points may be used by consumers to access and share a broadband connection to the Internet. For example, a consumer may connect a router that includes 802.11 based WiFi and an Ethernet based switch or hub to a cable modem in order to share the broadband connection to the Internet accessed through the cable modem with a variety of wireless and wired devices, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart televisions, and gaming systems.
There are a number of internet service providers (ISPs) that provide broadband internet service. Different broadband ISPs may require different configuration settings on routers and access points used to access and share the broadband connection to the Internet. For example, one broadband ISP may require the router or access point be provided with a username and password, while another broadband ISP may not require a username and password but may require the selection of an appropriate connection type in the configuration of the router or access point, or may require the router or access point to be configured to use a specified MAC address, IP address, subnet mask, Gateway IP address, DNS server or other setting. The configuration may need to be performed manually by the consumer when the router or access point is first set up to work with the consumer's broadband ISP, or when settings for the router or access point are lost, for example, due to power failure or other such events which may cause erasure or corruption of the settings. This may be difficult and time consuming, and the consumer may not have access to the Internet during the setup, as the router or access point may be disconnected from the Internet until the setup is completed properly. This may hinder the consumer's ability to get need information and/or support in setting up the router or access point. The user may be able to receive support from a customer support agent over the phone, but the customer support agent may be unable to directly access the router or access point to assist in setup. Trying to guide the customer through a series of setup screens for the access point or router, including the entering of setup data, may be time consuming and prone to error and failure.
Connection problems may also cause the router or access point to lose a connection with a broadband ISP, preventing the router or access point and any connected devices from accessing the Internet. Troubleshooting a disconnected router or access point may also be hindered by lack of access to the Internet. The consumer may receive support from a customer support agent over the phone, but the customer support agent may be unable to directly access the router to diagnose any issues that may be responsible for the disconnection, and may have to rely on debugging information being relayed verbally by the consumer.